Be a coach, not a boss

A new generation of employees has entered the workplace armed with a new set of expectations, and, as a result, has turned the conventional supervisor/supervisee relationship on its ear.

Out is the “boss.” In is the “coach.” And, says Bill Hoopes, former sales training manager at The Scotts Co., supervisors who don’t make this transition are setting themselves up for failure.

Speaking at the 2010 GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Ky., Hoopes, who is now president of Grass Roots Training in Delaware, Ohio, said Gen X and Gen Y employees want to be taught, not told.

“Mature managers find it hard to change with the times,” Hoopes says, “but if you don’t make the change, you’re going to have a hard time dealing with the new mindset employees have these days.”

Hoopes says the process starts with understanding this “new age” worker, who is much more self-absorbed than his predecessor, and who, consequently, needs to see the value behind any move that comes from management.Basically, knowing how to get this employee to buy in to what the company is doing ensures a better opportunity to get the most from him or her.

Communication is key, says Hoopes, who added that he’s talking about real communication and not just the old “because I said so” boss tack that served as gospel in the past.

“Effective communication contains answers to the questions what, when, where, and how,” Hoopes says. “Then comes follow-up with hands-on coaching to help the team form habits that lead to success. When employees understand, they buy in, and they become motivated.”

Hoopes say his experience in dealing with human resource matters over many years convinced him that coaching is the only way to go.

“It saves headaches for sure – for everyone involved,” he says. “But more importantly, doing everything right benefits the employee and the company. And that’s really what everyone wants when you get down to it.”

Here are some examples Hoopes offered of how a good coach will trump a bad boss every time.

The author is publisher at Lawn & Landscape’s sister publication Garden Center magazine. He can be reached at yyoungblood@gie.net.